This invention relates to the production of metal powder, i.e. metal in powder or particulate form. Metal powder, which is used in powder metallurgical processes can be produced by shattering or "atomizing" molten metal by gas or liquid jets and rapidly quenching the resulting metal droplets.
Conventional powder water atomizers consist of a melting furnace, a tundish, optionally a ladle for transferring molten steel from the melting furnace to the tundish, the tundish containing a tundish pouring nozzle, an atomizing chamber containing nozzle means for directing opposed high pressure jets of water at the liquid stream of metal falling from the tundish nozzle to atomize it into discrete particles, a secondary chamber or second region of the atomizing chamber in which lower pressure water is pumped to quench the atomized particles, and a collection tank which is continuously emptied by a slurry pump during the atomization run. The resultant powder is of moderate yield, of high to moderate oxygen content and of moderate irregularity, the degrees of quality for a given atomizer depending amongst other factors upon the alloy being melted.